NY legislators reject bridge tolls as MTA bailout

ALBANY -- Gov. David Paterson and New York legislative leaders on Tuesday rejected tolls on bridges as part of any deal to bail out New York City's troubled mass transit system.

The Senate's Democrat majority blocked tolls on the East River and Harlem River bridges.

Senate Democrats from the outer boroughs strongly opposed the tolls and prevailed because every vote would be needed in the Democrats' 32-30 majority. Republicans, shut out of the talks, have said they would need transportation aid for the rest of New York state to support a rescue of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

Remaining under consideration were proposals to raise MTA fares an average of 8 percent and add a payroll tax for businesses in the MTA's 12-county region.

The Legislature and governor are seeking a bailout for the public authority, which was created by the Legislature but is designed to operate independently of state government. The MTA board is open to such a bailout.

Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith said he had hoped a deal would be struck Tuesday, but leaders ended the discussion Tuesday night without agreement.

"Now that we have a budget agreement, we are very focused on the MTA," Paterson said after a closed-door meeting with legislative leaders.

"The Senate has really eliminated what my choice would be, which is to have the tolls," the Democrat said. "That being the case, then we're going to have to try to find alternative ways to come up with several hundred millions of dollars that would replace the revenue provided by the tolls."

Paterson said he wouldn't support a gas tax, in part because it would come on the heels of $7 billion of higher taxes and fees in the 2009-10 budget expected to be adopted this week. Reviving an old commuter tax on those working in the city and living elsewhere hasn't been an option, the governor said. That measure is strongly opposed in the suburbs.

But Paterson wouldn't comment on whether added fees to driver's licenses and auto registration were among the options.

"We're actually just going through a menu of things," said Smith, a Queens Democrat.
Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver had pushed for the bridge tolls as a way to ease higher subway and bus fares.

"I don't think I have a choice," Silver said of accepting the decision to pursue higher tolls. "It's apparent to me that it will not pass muster in the Senate. ... The one the three of us agree on is the action of the MTA board cannot be allowed to stand."

The MTA board voted Wednesday to increase the base fare on subways and buses from $2 to $2.50, eliminate two subway lines and 35 bus routes, and curtail service on other lines. Fares will rise on commuter rail lines, and bridge and tunnel tolls already in existence will go up.

A 30-day MetroCard will cost $103, up from $81, and monthly and single-ride fares on the Long Island and Metro-North railroads will also rise under the board's action, effective this summer.

The measures are to address a $1.2 billion budget deficit that the MTA blames largely on the recession.